anybody just give up on ph?!

[MammothReefer]

Any of you ever just give up on PH w/your SPS tanks. I can keep it @ a solid 7.8-7.9. Night and day with dripping kalk..but I can't for the life of me get it up to 8.3.. At best when drippling ALOT of kalk I can get it up to 8.0..but at that point i'm dripping more water then i'm evaparating!

My c02 for my calcium reactor is on the same timer as my lights... I've tried airating my sump by cutting up my return pump.. I've got a DSB, and a ton of rock (which is supposed to act as a ph buff **CHiaaaaaaa*)

Everything for hte most part is doing pretty darn good.. but.. It just erks me that I can't get it to where it should be.

 

[rleechb]

I have the same problem. My remedy: stop caring.

As long as everything looks fine, I wouldn't worry about it; you're still safe with that pH.

 

[Yinger]

are you using a probe to determine your pH? I've given up on using probes. Just buy a test kit and measure every once in a while.

 

[MammothReefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8947102#post8947102 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Yinger
are you using a probe to determine your pH? I've given up on using probes. Just buy a test kit and measure every once in a while.

Both, my probe matches my test kits.

 

[SDguy]

Pick me, pick me!

 

[DRZL-sauras]

Im not sure if you havent thought of this yourself but you are "reefing at 8000 ft", ever wonder if the thin air is working against your favor.

just my .02

 

[MammothReefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8947484#post8947484 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by DRZL-sauras
Im not sure if you havent thought of this yourself but you are "reefing at 8000 ft", ever wonder if the thin air is working against your favor.

just my .02

Ya the altitude, and the winter. I've talked to some of the other local reefers here (Victoria on RC) and she has seen a lot of people have PH issues in the winter due to do all the Co2 in the house (since everything is so air tight to heat the place up)...except I have 50% of my water in my garage which isn't sealed....but my skimmer is inside so that isn't helping.

I wonder if a whole bunch of house plants will help

 

[murphreef]

my Ph stays low too and im only at 900 feet high lol

before the lights come on this morning it was at 7.78 on my Ph probe and last night when the lights went out it was at 8.05... hardly great IMO but everything seems to be doing fine i vented my skimmer 2 weeks ago to outside air and i open the windows for a few hours a day but still no real improvement in PH

i also started adding Kalk to my top off water... about 2 teaspons to a 15 gallon container and it rose that top off water to 11.5ph but even with topping off with kalk water it still hasnt healped much

i think im just guna give up and turn the darn meter off

 

[MiddletonMark]

While without calibration they seem to drift over time - I still find it a useful stat ... if it changes rapidly, or seems high/low it just causes me to test further.

That said, if my Ca/Alk/etc test fine ... I don't try to alter what the pH meter is reading. IMO, while a proper pH no doubt is good to have ... it's less important than stable and good Alk levels, or having the rest of the chemistry in line.

Just my opinion - while I do check the readout on my ac daily if not more ... only when it seems truly `wacky' do I move on with testing and making sure things are in line. But I find it a somewhat useful tool to observe when my Alk is starting to drift high/low.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8947102#post8947102 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Yinger
I've given up on using probes. Just buy a test kit and measure every once in a while.

:lol: ... I first got a probe when I got 4 different test kits [2 of a `good' brand + 2 other brands] and none of them agreed with each other, not even the two of the same brand.

Since that point, I've considered pH to be among the lesser important #'s to have perfectly in line.

 

[NewSchool04]

How bout shutting off your Ca reactor in the winter and using Randy's two part for Ca and Alk. With recipe #1, the Alk portion is made by baking baking soda, very high pH. Dosing that every other day plus your Kalk drip should make you good to go.

 

[MammothReefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8947705#post8947705 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by NewSchool04
How bout shutting off your Ca reactor in the winter and using Randy's two part for Ca and Alk. With recipe #1, the Alk portion is made by baking baking soda, very high pH. Dosing that every other day plus your Kalk drip should make you good to go.

oh god no more daily maintence to poor for a litermeter (need a new skimmer first saving up for a BM300)

Not to mention my caclium and alk are spot on.

I'm wondering if a kalk reactor will work better then dripping kalk, any thoughts?

 

[NewSchool04]

how are you dripping the Kalk now?
Kalk reactor is just another fancy gadget, I'd spend my money on the skimmer if you're just going to let things go. Either way, if you're having success, then stick with it!

 

[MammothReefer]

with a 2.5 gallon Kent drippin jug.

 

[TandN]

i have no cal reactor and mine is a solid 7.8-8.0 I dose randy's 2 part wit a doser i use the one that raises the PH does nothing

 

[Kubi]

sea level and windows open 7.8 @ night, solid 8 during the day.

 

[NewSchool04]

Oh man, I remember my Kent dripping days. What a nightmare, I was always fiddling with that dripper! This is the best $$$ I've spent in this hobby, Nautilus II reef dosing pump. Set and forget!
www.innovativeaquatics.com

 

[gskidmor]

In six years, I don't think I've ever tested my pH, admittedly the first 3 years were mainly fish/invertebrate only (some mushrooms, but nothing light intensive)!!

Whats the quick and dirty on this - skimming lowers the pH. I realize Ca reactors would since the water entering the tank is a lower pH

 

[dvanacker]

I did away with my PH monitor too....actual it did away with me...dang finicky POS.

Used to run a ca reactor and kalk reactor......traded them both in for Randy' DIY 2part (raise ph version) and havent looked back. Now I just check with a dropper evey once in a while. As far as I'm concerned if the tank is doing the pH is a OK.

 

[Victoria]

Hey Mammoth
Sorry to here you are still having a ph problem. What is you alk, ca run at? Mag?. What is the ph in your new salt water? There is a test to do for indoor co2... Take a cup a tank water and airate it for an hour with outside air, If the ph goes up its indoor co2.
Hey I need to borrow that fish trap if I could??

 

[dots]

Yeah, I don't see the alk level......which controls the Ph.........if its high, your Ph will be locked into place.........lower alk will allow you to raise it and set it......once its where you want, raise the alk and keep it up. That is if I read all those articles correctly way back when.......Alk is like a shock absorber on a car....the higher it is the "stiffer" the spring is and the ph doesn't move.....conversly, low alk creates a "weak spring" and the ph moves freely.

Stable is best thing, and it looks like you have that......you may be over analyzing at this point.

I havn't test ph in a LONG time and only do on newer tanks.

Second the inovative dosers....I have a sentry.......the consintency of constant drip made my growth rate intense.....way cool!!!......Would like a two channel seperate controlled circuits, just in case they ever do get out of balance.....that way the Ca or Alk could be adjusted and fine tuned individually.